Machine for grinding objects



July 5, 1949. w. H. cATuccl MACHINE FOR GRINDING OBJECTS` 2 Sheets-Sheetv 1 Filed June 15, 194e 1q.a.. A T f6 5,

N15( CAT-ucc/ A TTOPNEK w. H. cATUccl 2,475,009

July 5, 1949.

` l MACHINE FOR'GRINDING OBJECTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 15, 1946 l INVENTOR. /7l I 'Hracc/ f 3 BY mmm/EY.

Patented July 5, 17949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR GRINDING OB'EC'JJSV Walter H. Catucci, Kearny, N.

Application June 15, 1946, Serial No. 67659411.

(Cl. 51h79) 4-Claims. 1

This invention relates to a method of and machine for grinding objects. Itis particularly directed to the grinding of objects of small size, to provide the same with shouldered portions or portions of reduced diameterfor example, to provide wire members, originally of uniform diameter, with stem portions of reduced di,

ameters.

Such wire members are used in large volume in the textile and other industries, in sound reproduction (as phonograph needles) and for analogous purposes.

The invention herein set forth provides for the rapid grinding of such objects in an accurate manner and' with a high quality of finish at low cost, and fills a long-felt want in the industry for a method and apparatus attaining these objectives.

An embodiment of a structure employing my invention is shown in the accompanying draw'- ings and described in detail in the ensuing specication. This embodiment. is merely by way of example and my invention is not limited thereto but includes all other forms which would come within the scope of the appended claims. In the rawings,

Fig. 1 is an end elevational view, partly fragmentary, of a machine embodying my invention, said view being taken at the point indicated by the designation and arrow Fig. 1 in Fig. 3,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary view of the grinding wheel of my machine shown grinding or shouldering the wires or pins which are rotated by the wire feed roller upon thev saddle member,

Fig. ,3 is a. side elevational View of the machine taken at the point indicated by the designation and arrow Fig. 3 in Fig. 4,

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of said machine, taken at the point indicated by the designation and arrow "Fig 4 in Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a, fragmentary, vertical view, partly sectional, showing the peripheral edge of the wire feed roller and the shaft on which the same is mounted and showing the saddle member, partly sectional,

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of a wire member or other object to be ground pursuant to my invention, and

Fig. 7 is a similar view of said object after: the operation of grinding the salmev pursuant to my invention.

The drawings illustrate the application of the invention to the grinding or shouldering of wire members III which initially have the flat ends II.

TheA modus operandi of the invention may be noted from Figs. 1 and 2. The wire members, designated by the generic numeral Il) in Fig. 1 and by the reference characters Illa-lili in Fig. 2, are initially deposited in the hopper 24, where they are fed to the preferably resilient periphery 2 I5 lof the-wire feed roller I4 which impinges on the wirermembers", rotating them in the direction indicatedl by the arrows. II,` Fig. 2, on the preferably resilient cover 'I"I=- of the saddle I1, and advancing themasl indicated by arrow 22, toward the discharge end. Ila of the saddle and into my suitable collecting receptacle.

The surface of saddle I'I is preferablyv arcuate and concentric with the periphery of the feed rollery I 4*; as above* stated, said concentric surfaces are preferably resilient; they are preferably spaced: apart to define therebetween a space slightly less than. the vdiameter of the wire members In orv other objects. to be rotated therebetween and .advanced in the direction of arrow 22, Fig. 2. The saddlel I'I is provided with means,l hereinafter more fully described, whereby it may be advanced or retracted relative to theperiphery of theI feed: roller I4, to accommodatev wire` members or other objects of various diameters.

During the rotation. of the wires by the feed roller I4,I they are engaged by grinding Wheel I9 which rotatesv in a directiony transverse to the longitudinal axis of said wire members, and, as indicated by the arrow 21|, Fig. 2, ina direction opposite that of feed rollery |14. The grinding wheel I9, as will be presently explained in greater detail, is mounted or otherwise juxtaposed eccentrically with: respect to theA axis (23, Fig. 2) defined by theadvancing wires, andy preferably has a cylindrical periphery; Thus, the wires are advanced between two gradually converging and circular arcs defined by the circular base or saddle I'I (which is .generally arcuately parallel to the circumference of the wire feed roller I4) and the periphery of the grinding wheel I9, which is eccentrically mounted relative to the wire feed roller I4. The wires-are thus subjected to progressively g-reaterfg'rinding action of the grinding wheel I9- astheyr advance. to the discharge end Iflaof the saddle II. By the method and apparatus above described,y the: wires are smoothly, uniformly and rapidlyy provided with shoulders I2 and with stem, portions. I3, of predetermined diametrical reductionv (Figs 2l and 7) which may be controlled, ashereinafter explained, to a high degree of accuracy; `while maintaining a maximum of productiom-at low unit cost. The minute diametrical reduction thus eifected on each wire for each revolution, thereof produces a most satisfactoryl and fine degree *of high finish.

Grinding wheel t9 is keyed to the shaft '33 which rotatesv in journals 32 integral with the slide 3l; v The drive. shaft 33may be rotated' by a power source such as main electric motor 2S, through any suitable power transmission means, as by pulley 21 driven by the armature shaft of the motor 26, and belt 28 entrained over driven pulley 29 keyed to the shaft 33 of the grinding wheel. The grinding wheel may be advanced or retracted relative to the center of feed roller I4 (and thus also to the axis 23 defined by the advancing wire members) by rotating the handwheel 34 at the lower end of slide 3l. The longitudinal axis of slide 3| is shown to extend at right angles to the plane which is tangent to the grinding wheel I9 at the point where it is closest to the saddle I 7, as Will be understood from Fig. 1. The graduated dial 35 of slide 3I allows the careful registration of the slightest motion of the slide and grinding Wheel I9, and enables the operator to adjust the apparatus to provide the Wire members with ground, reduced stem portions I3 of extreme accuracy.

The slide 3| is supported at an acute angle to the horizontal machine pan 49 by frame 38, the latter being mounted on horizontal shafts 9E, 91, mounted in the journals 39, 49, 39', 49 (see Fig. 4). Thus, when the grinding operation is being set up, the grinding wheel I9 and associated parts can be moved away from the wire feed roller I4.

The shaft 43 of wire feed roller I4 rotates in journals 4I, 42 carried by portions 56 of frames or supporting members 56, said shaft 43 being driven by any desired or convenient power source, such as a small auxiliary motor 46, through any desired or convenient power transmission means, such as, the following: Bevel gear 41, keyed to armature shaft of motor 46, meshes with and drives bevel gear 48 of the vertically journalled shaft 48', to the upper end of which worm 45 is keyed. Worm 45 meshes with and drives worm gear 44 keyed to the shaft 43 of wire feed roller If desired, means maybe provided for elevatn ing and lowering the saddle II to accommodate objects of various sizes and diameters. For example, a sub-base 52 for saddle I'I may be mounted on the machine pan 49 (see Fig. 5) with a wedge member 53 interposed between the saddle Il and sub-base 52. The wedge 53 may be engaged by push-pull screws 54 of the bracket 55 (see Figs. 1 and 4) to adjust the position of saddle I 1. Machine pan 49 may be provided with legs 59, and with a receptacle I to hold the fluid lubricant.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A machine for grinding the ends of small metal objects having a cylindrical form, comprising a saddle having a concave resilient surface, a feed roller whose axis of rotation is coaxial with the concave resilient surface of the saddle, said feed roller having a cylindrical periphery the surface of which is also resilient and is spaced from the concave resilient surface of the saddle a distance slightly less than the diameters of the small metal objects, means to feed the small metal objects to the space between the saddle and feed roller, the resilient surface of the saddle and feed roller yielding slightly in the passage of the small metal objects along said space between the saddle and the feed roller thereby effecting continuous rotation of each of the small metal objects on its axis during said passage, a grinding wheel having its axis of rotation slightly eccentric to the axis of the feed roller so that part of its periphery is nearer to the saddle than the feed roller, and means to drive both the feed roller and the grinding wheel, the parts being so constructed and arranged that as the small metal objects are rolled along the space between the feed roller and the saddle the grinding wheel will grind the ends thereof and will progressively reduce said ends until the desired reduction in size of said ends is effected.

2. The invention as defined in claim l, wherein the grinding wheel has a cylindrical periphery and is so set as to grind the ends of the small metal objects to form still smaller cylindrical stems, the direction of rotation of the grinding wheel being opposed to the direction of travel of the small metal objects between the saddle and the feed roller.

3. A machine for grinding the ends of small metal objects having a cylindrical form, com prising a machine frame, a feed roller, objectfeeding means discharging the objects to the feed roller, means to rotate the feed roller, an arcuate stationary saddle having a discharge end and spaced slightly from the periphery of the feed roller, said saddle and feed roller having co-operating opposed resilient surfaces for direct engagement with the objects, the feed roller rolling said objects on their axes from the discharge end of the feeding means to the discharge end of the saddle, a grinding wheel arranged eccen trically relative to the saddle and feed roller, means to rotate the grinding wheel in a direcn tion opposed to the direction of travel ci said objects, said grinding wheel engaging the objects at their ends and progressively reducing said ends to smaller cylindrical stems as said objects roll between the feed roller and the saddle, and manually controlled means on the machine frame adapted to shift the axis of rotation of said grincing wheel toward and from the saddle, said manually controlled means permitting a line adjustn ment so that minute changes in the dimensions of the reduced ends of said objects may be efe fected.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3, wherein said manually controlled means comprises a slide, means to mount the slide on the machine frame, a handwheel adapted when rotated to move the slide longitudinally, a graduated dial on the slide permitting measurement of the smallest motion of the slide and hence of the grinding Wheel, the slide extending at an acute angle to the horizontal and at right angles to the plane which is tangent to the grinding wheel at the point Where it is closest to the saddle.

WALTER H. CATUCCI.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the flle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 992,859 Davis May 23, 1911 993,981 Grover May 30, 1911 1,532,490 Hunt Apr. 7, 1925 2,170,672 Anderson Aug. 22, 1939 2,397,459 Armbrust Apr. 2, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 399,444 Great Britain Oct. 5, 1933 

